Reincarnation
by the God Hand
Summary: Itachi never expected to wake up again after passing on for the last time, and he knew this wasn't the work of Impure World Resurrection. Follow his struggles as he makes his way into the world of Martial Arts and mastery of Kushinada-style Jiujutsu!
1. Chapter 1: Lucidity

**Author's Note:** Hello faithful readers! I have returned from the land of the dead (lazy) with a new and interesting story idea! It's unorthodox (precisely why I decided to write it), but it's my first crossover story and with a little luck it'll gain some popularity with the fanfiction masses. It's a story involving _History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi_ and _Naruto_.

Now surprisingly not many people seem to care all that much for _History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi_. This is mostly because it isn't as popular as the mainstream stuff (even though it's pretty mainstream itself). For those of you who don't know, _History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi_ is basically about a boy and his struggles to learn the martial arts to protect himself and others. He ends up getting trained by true masters and begins to learn Japanese Jiujutsu, Karate, Chinese Kenpo, Muay Thai, and some other stuff. This manga series (and its shorter anime counterpart) are both hilarious and action-packed. A great read/watch, if I do say so myself.

I strongly suggest any who haven't read the manga to do so immediately (especially if you want to enjoy my fic!). It is addicting after you get past the first few chapters. Go to mangareader-dot-net (sorry, I can't put links in), that's where I read from.

Make sure you search for _History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi_ and read from the first chapter!

Summary: Itachi never expected to wake up again after passing on for the last time, and he knew this wasn't the work of Impure World Resurrection. Follow his struggles as he makes his way into the world of Martial Arts and mastery of Kushinada-style Jiujutsu! Things are about to get interesting…

Disclaimer: *sigh,* I don't own _History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi_ or _Naruto_, and I wouldn't want to either! Do you know how much pressure that would put on me? I would just never keep to schedule and me and my fans would be in some kind of dysfunctional, love-hate relationship…just ain't my thing.

Anyway, enough with the wait, on to the read! Enjoy!

~99~

**Chapter 1: Lucidity**

The second time Itachi _awoke_—as in _awoke_ from a _lifeless_ state—he wasn't fully cognizant of everything immediately around him. It was not unlike being in a dream, actually. He just couldn't help but go along with it all, even while knowing deep down that it was all wrong; impossible, even.

He would sometimes gain temporary lucidity, but would always come to in a state of confusion and bewilderment, always unable to fully comprehend everything in his direct vicinity. These moments of lucidity never lasted very long before he was back in his original state of mind.

Finally, after what he later on estimated to be around twenty-four months, Itachi became completely aware. He was again immediately confused, but this time he had a means to understand his situation.

Finding himself in the body of a (barely) three year old, Itachi couldn't help but wonder what he'd gotten himself into this time. It wasn't just any three year old body he was in though; it was remarkably similar to what he himself vaguely remembered looking like between the ages of three and five.

It couldn't have been his original body though, simply due to its lack of chakra. At first, he'd been alarmed, having quickly discovered his body held none of the life-essence of his people. He'd calmed down, discovering eventually that the other children and even the adults around him were in the same situation. This, however, brought on more questions, more confusion.

The children and adults around him were another thing altogether though. As it turned out, he was a member of one of a few local orphanages in the poorer part of a village he didn't know the name of. The orphanage seemed low on funds, frequently begging for donations and rationing necessities.

Itachi couldn't quite bring himself to care, still numb (emotionally) from the impossibility of his circumstances. He didn't quite know how long he'd been in the orphanage with complete consciousness by now; maybe a few weeks. Itachi wasn't so completely unresponsive though, and eventually he recovered his wits to assess the situation. He would have time to ponder the circumstances of his arrival into this strange place later.

~99~

_Two Years Later_

Itachi looked into his small cloth bag in approval. He counted at least ¥6000 yen in banknotes and some small coins. He'd managed for the sixth time now to scrounge up just enough money for most, if not all, of the orphans at his orphanage to eat a more decent amount of food for about a week or so.

He would only take money he found or from people he didn't deem worthy to have it. This included mostly those that flaunted their wealth or higher status in front of others less fortunate. A stupid thing to do, yes, but it did happen every now and then, and Itachi made sure to keep taking advantage of it with his rarely used pick-pocketing skills.

He would usually just slip the money into the donations box before anyone saw him. It was something he did in his spare time, raising money for the unwanted children he'd been living with all his (reincarnated) life. They seemed so sullen, as if they'd already accepted their meager lot in life. It was to be expected, though. Most didn't get much attention from the already insufficient staff that worked with them.

The staff was made up of people that had mostly good intentions. Most were women that tended to the younger portion of children while a few men kept the older kids in order. They spent their time occupying the orphans with schoolwork, mostly core subjects, though there was one woman who insisted on having them learn proper Tea Ceremony etiquette.

The younger children, who weren't yet enrolled in free public schooling yet, were given extra attention to prepare them. The staff instilled in them a strong work-ethic, making sure they took their education as seriously as possible. Itachi admired them for all the good they managed to do with their inadequate funds, but he also found them to be a bit inattentive in other things.

They didn't really take the time to make sure all the kids were in attendance in their mock classes, and they were fairly short-tempered and slightly abusive. That was somewhat expected as well, having to take care of a bunch of kids until they turned a certain age, but it still disappointed him.

Itachi did what he could though, while at the same time discovering more and more about the odd world he seemed to have been reborn into. Oddly enough, his name here was still 'Itachi,' on account of him apparently mumbling it in his sleep as a baby in the orphanage (perhaps as an attempt to introduce himself while still in his dream state). He didn't mind not carrying the Uchiha name anymore (which he had apparently not mumbled); this was a new start after all.

Most of his time was spent training in a small forest near the orphanage, conditioning his body and discovering more about the humans of this world in the process. When not training, he usually found as many non-fiction books as he could and almost eagerly devoured the information inside, learning about their history and culture.

Itachi was surprised that the world was so large. The Elemental Nations just didn't quite compare to the vastness and diversity of this world. The country he was in currently was very similar to his old home though, and Itachi was glad he'd been born in a place that almost mirrored what he was most familiar with, at least culturally speaking. The lack of chakra wasn't as much of a problem now anyway.

Through many hours spent in deep meditation, searching for an energy deep within himself (just as he remembered doing so when first accessing his chakra as a child), Itachi had discovered this world's equivalent to chakra. It was a lot more subtle and difficult to feel than chakra and it was much less potent, and much harder to mold, but it was there. There was also a lot less of it than Itachi remembered himself first having when he'd gotten a feel for his chakra reserves in his original life, but he'd found it could be built up and strengthened under certain conditions.

The answer was similar to how to sustain larger chakra reserves: training, both of the body and the mind.

Training was more difficult than usual without chakra aiding his endurance and stamina but Itachi didn't let it daunt him. He made sure to get his fill of healthy foods and trained for hours on most days. As a ninja, he'd learned to cope with pain, both mental and physical, so it was fairly easy to get over the strain on his body whenever he trained.

He was still careful though. He made sure to never break bones or damage himself to a great extent. This world didn't have medical ninjutsu that could fix him in minutes should he get hurt, and on top of that, the orphanage didn't have enough money to afford good health care for all the kids. He'd be out for weeks or even possibly longer if he hurt himself too badly.

So he trained, and learned, and gave away the money he managed to get his hands on. It was a simple existence and Itachi didn't mind it too much, but he planned to travel the world when his body was old enough, and to perhaps see if there was anything more out there for him; a purpose, maybe.

Only time would tell.

~99~

_Three Years Later_

At age eight in his reincarnated body, Itachi was something of an enigma to his fellow orphans. He rarely spoke with them, but seemed kind all the same. He never responded to taunts or insults and always somehow managed to avoid any and all physical altercations.

But it wasn't really any of that which made Itachi an oddity. No, it was more his disposition and actions that sometimes made his fellow orphans anxious around him. Despite his apparent age, Itachi acted like no other child any of them had ever seen.

He always seemed extremely calm, emotionless even, and he never seemed surprised at anything. His gaze was unnerving and he could often be seen looking into the distance with a far off look that none of them could comprehend the depth to.

When he wasn't there with his fellow orphans, he was somewhere none of them knew of. He disappeared often, always somehow escaping the notice of the staff that took care of them. He would be away for hours at a time and always come back looking slightly drained. He also looked a great deal healthier than all the others in his age group as well, something that puzzled the few that took care to notice.

Still, he was just one orphan of many, and eventually looked over as just another odd case.

They would never know his true nature after events soon to come, and they would always wonder what had happened for him to simply disappear and never come back.

~99~

Itachi walked boredly along the gravel road toward the orphanage, completely aware of the presence behind him a few yards back. The man had been following him for awhile now and Itachi was growing slightly annoyed that he wasn't trying anything. He could almost feel the sick, murderous excitement oozing off the man. Twice he had seen the man's dark grin in the reflections of windows, and twice he had been prepared to incapacitate or perhaps even kill the man.

He'd been returning from a training session just as he always did when the man started following him. The sun was setting as he'd finished his routine for the day and by now it was fairly dark outside. Itachi knew the man was simply biding his time, waiting for him to walk near the more secluded area where his orphanage was located. He wondered idly if the man had been targeting him specifically when suddenly he reached the foliage of trees in the path to the orphanage. On the other side of the small forest was his destination, but he knew he wouldn't make it there before the man decided to attack.

As they reached the inside of the forest, Itachi turned around. The man stopped, though his grin didn't lessen. The glee and anticipation in his eyes disgusted Itachi.

"So," the man started in a somewhat raspy voice, "you knew I was following you."

Itachi nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Yes. You weren't very inconspicuous, and you never strayed more than ten yards behind me."

The man laughed deeply, his eyes boring into Itachi's. "Kahaha! You should've run boy! Now you'll just be another fine addition to my collection…"

"I see," Itachi stated, eyes hard. "So my suspicions were correct. You are the rumored man who's been kidnapping children recently."

The man grinned and nodded slowly, reaching with his right hand into his coat and pulling out a short, red-stained knife. "You're a smart one, eh? It's too bad your life won't last much longer."

"Where are the children you've kidnapped?" Itachi asked calmly, ignoring the man's actions.

"Ha! Where do you think?" the man replied, walking forward at a steady pace with his knife hand at the ready, his eyes shining with bloodlust.

Itachi inwardly sighed, his suspicions confirmed. He readied himself as the man finally reached him and swung his knife in a sloppy slashing movement, aiming for his face.

Itachi saw it all in slow motion. He didn't have the Sharingan, but some of its abilities were still accessible to him. The slowing of his perception of time was something he was almost unconsciously used to, mostly due to his brain always processing things that way in his past life. His Sharingan had been in near constant use during his time with the Akatsuki, and his brain's ability to perceive time had been changed as a result.

It only took him a moment of conscious will to activate the change in perception, and when he did things were immediately clear. Years of having his Sharingan active had also allotted him the ability to distinguish the most minute of details, such as the subtle and involuntarily wasted movements the man made as he lunged forward. Itachi saw a multitude of openings before the man had raised his knife fully, calculating which would be the most effective to put him down with as little force or exertion on his part at the same time

Another useful ability to have leftover from his Sharingan. It wasn't as efficient or accurate without actually having the Sharingan itself but Itachi was glad his mind had become so accustom to his old eyes that he would be able to make some use of them even when he didn't actually have them.

Itachi shifted to the left as the man's knife passed his shoulder. He grabbed the man's hand and wrist before it descended fully and pulled it inward to an unnatural angle while simultaneously placing his right leg in front of the man's left and applied quick, powerful pressure.

The man instantly fell face-first into the ground as his wrist broke and the knife fell out of his hand. It was all still so slow to Itachi, and for a moment he gazed down coldly at the back of his attacker's head as he rasped on the ground in pain. Itachi then quickly stomped on the man's left hand, breaking his other wrist as well.

"P-Please…have m-mercy!" he yelled in pain, struggling to get up and unable to due to Itachi's other foot applying pressure to the base of his spine.

Itachi crouched down with a grim expression, still keeping the man down in his locked position. "There is no mercy for the damned."

And with a swift and harsh chop to the back of the man's neck, he was thrust into blissful unconsciousness. Itachi thought perhaps it was much less than the man deserved, but he never killed unless absolutely necessary, not even scum like this.

As Itachi started to drag the man off by his leg to the local police station that wasn't too far away, he felt a distinct sensation at the back of his neck. An instinct honed through years of training and deadly combat, almost like a sixth sense, alerted him to another person nearby, watching.

He didn't believe the person watching was a threat to him and they had likely seen the man attack him so he kept on walking and showed no reaction to the person's presence. He still kept on his guard though, spreading his senses out as much as possible without alerting the person following him. He sighed softly with some weariness. Tonight was proving to be quite annoying.

~99~

Kushinada Mikumo watched the altercation between the small child and the full grown man with some shock. She'd only been passing through on foot when she'd happened upon them by coincidence and had been ready to intervene in order to save the child after listening to their exchange when the man had attacked.

Their conversation had interested her however, and the child's calm persona was intriguing, almost as if he lacked even the slightest hint of fear facing this apparent serial-killer. She'd then seen the man attack and had waited for any sign that the child might take damage so that she could act in time.

It had surprised her when the boy had shifted his body's position according to his opponent's momentum and used it to his advantage, taking him down with brutal and efficient technique. She'd felt a measure of approval when the boy had broken both of the man's wrists and kept him immobile, but his words had caused a slight widening of her eyes.

"There is no mercy for the damned."

The child looked no older than nine, perhaps ten, and yet his words at that instant and the way he'd apparently known the man had been following him, and his suspicions of the attacker as well, proved he was much more than he seemed.

She'd seen children as young as him with just as much skill, but she'd never seen such a grim, unforgiving gaze in their eyes; not like this one. She wasn't sure whether she should feel somewhat sad or greatly impressed.

Regardless, the entire event had caught her complete attention and interested her immensely. The boy had used Jiujutsu, despite his rather crude methods, and his form was perfect. Mikumo knew a prodigy when she saw one and this boy definitely fit the bill.

She narrowed her eyes, knowing there would now need to be a change in her plans.

~99~

Itachi left the man on the doorstep to the local police headquarters after taking a pencil and piece of paper out of his pocket and writing a note explaining who the man was. He left the man's knife with his unconscious body as well.

He was glad there had been no officer outside when he'd left the man there, but his relief at not having to wait was soon gone after still feeling someone watching him. The person was watching him from the rooftops, he could tell, but he dared not look up.

When he was out of range of any small buildings, a figure suddenly appeared fifteen feet in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise at the sheer speed the person had moved, never having thought such a thing was possible in a world where chakra wasn't there to aid in high-speed movements.

Itachi was immediately on alert. He almost couldn't believe it, but this person had a very dangerous feeling about them, and his more instinctual senses were telling him to run away as fast as possible. Still, he was rational enough to know that he wouldn't get far with this person's apparent speed.

The figure moved forward and Itachi forced himself to pour his entire focus into slowing his own perception of time. As his eyes grew sharper, he caught the appearance of the person who'd been following him for awhile now. It was a woman.

She was incredibly beautiful, dressed in a red, traditional sort of Hakama that reached her waist, and a modified white Keikogi that was open at the chest, barely covering her large bust. She also had what looked like a dark red wooden necklace of prayer beads around her neck. Her face was like porcelain with eyes dark and distant and black hair that shined in the moonlight. Despite her beauty, Itachi knew she was still also extremely dangerous. He watched her body's graceful movements carefully.

"Be at ease, child," she started in a soft but stern voice. "I mean you know harm."

Itachi didn't relax.

She looked back at the direction he'd fought the serial-killer. "I witnessed your battle with that man and I am impressed with your ability. Tell me, who taught you the martial arts?"

Itachi quickly deduced she was asking who had taught him how to fight. He responded with an easy lie. "Over a year ago, an old man came down from the mountains to the east. He taught me how to protect myself for some months before he left. I haven't seen him since"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "This old man's name?"

"He told me only to call him 'sensei,'" Itachi answered carefully, continuing the lie.

"Hmm," she hummed slightly in acknowledgment. "And you remember everything he taught you even though he's been gone for so long?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering where this was going. "He told me that I must continue to train and better myself even in his absence. I've been practicing what he taught me every day."

"I see," she said with a nod. "Tell me boy, what is your name?"

"What is yours?" he responded in kind.

The woman smiled slightly. "Such impudence in the young these days," she started with some amusement before continuing, "but if you must know, my name is Kushinada Mikumo."

"Itachi," Itachi replied simply.

"I see, interesting name," she said, not elaborating further.

Itachi waited for a full minute before he spoke. "What is it that you want, Kushinada-san?"

She ignored his question but still responded. "Tell me Itachi-kun, do you wish to become stronger? To truly better yourself?"

Itachi's surprise didn't show on his face. _So she wants to teach me? Or perhaps have someone else teach me?_

"Yes…" Itachi answered cautiously.

She looked him directly in the eyes. "Become my disciple, and you will become strong."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I do not doubt you are capable, but why would you wish to teach someone you do not know? And why should I trust you?"

"Because I see potential in you," she answered emotionlessly. "As for trust…well, even though it is true there is a greater margin for loss when taking greater risk, there is also the possibility of great return. To take risks is sometimes necessary if you wish to succeed in life."

Itachi was almost amused. He wasn't investing in stock, but he admired her use of an economic concept applied to real life.

"I understand," Itachi replied after a few minutes of deep thought. "I will accept your offer. But I must do something first before I go."

He truly wanted to see the world and waiting years didn't appeal to him. With this woman he had that chance much earlier than he thought he would get it. And while she was right about taking risks, he was still not going to trust her. He was a ninja, and he'd never completely trusted anyone, ever. And hey, he might learn something new in the process. First he needed to give some money he'd been saving up to the orphanage though.

"If you are worried about your parents, I have a means to have them allow you to come with me," she said calmly, breaking him from his thoughts.

Itachi shook his head. "No, I am an orphan, I have no parents."

Her eyes showed some surprise but it was gone almost instantly. "I see. What is it you wish to do then?"

"I only wish to leave something for those like me," he answered cryptically before turning and walking to where he would no longer be staying.

~99~

Mikumo couldn't help but wonder at how Itachi had become such a seeming genius with no guidance. Well, his upbringing might have been the reason, but she could only guess at what he'd really been through. Perhaps it wasn't so unusual to encounter a killer and other abominable things where he lived?

She was even more intrigued with the boy now than she was before though. She had never encountered a child that was so careful and sure of himself at the same time. His previous teacher was also something to wonder about. Had this "old man" taught him because he had seen his potential? Was he perhaps related to the boy or his parents? She had many more questions, and she would be doing a thorough background check on the boy to understand just who he was.

Still, things had worked out in her favor. It was probably for the better that he was an orphan. That way, she could have him take her surname easier without too much problems. He likely had never even met his parents, so he probably wouldn't have any attachment to his current last name. It was necessary that he take the name anyway. The Kushinada style was family-oriented to begin with, and was only passed down to those that shared the same name.

As she followed him to the local orphanage where he lived, she wondered again what it could be he was trying to do. He'd said something about leaving something for those like him. Did he mean to leave a gift for the other orphans? Well, she supposed she'd find out soon enough.

~99~

Itachi snuck into the kitchens of the orphanage and pulled up a loose, out of the way floorboard. Under it was a small wooden box. He opened it to stare at the numerous banknotes inside.

_This should help them for a month or two_, he thought with some reluctance.

He didn't want to leave the orphanage to its begging ways like it had been before he had managed to start raising funds for it through donations. They had been getting a lot of help from him and he hoped they would be okay once he left. He'd been raising the money for just this same scenario, but he had never expected to leave so early.

He'd started saving about two years ago. Every time he would acquire some money, he would add some to this stash. Little by little, it had accumulated to about ¥100,000 yen. It wasn't enough though, and he hoped they would be okay in his absence. In the end, all he could do was hope.

~99~

Mikumo could only guess at how the boy had gotten so much money. He didn't look like a thief, and on top of that, he was putting it in his orphanages donations box. It was a noble thing and she admired his sense of duty when there was no need for it, but she hoped he wouldn't be so merciful against his opponents.

But as he turned around and looked upon her with none of the childlike curiosity of those his age, only the eyes of someone with profound thoughts, she suddenly had the feeling that this boy could be anything but merciful if he chose.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am ready," Itachi said calmly and without hesitation.

Kushinada Mikumo nodded and turned around, beckoning silently for him to follow. As they left, she couldn't help but wonder what the future held for her first disciple, as seemingly brilliant as he was. She could only wait in anticipation, and hope it was greatness.

If nothing else, things were about to get interesting; very interesting.

~99~

—And there you have it folks. I hope this goes well…

—Be sure to give some feedback!


	2. Chapter 2: Succession

**Author's Note:** Merry Christmas and a Happy (almost)New Year faithful readers! I wanted to update on Christmas day but I won't be able to use the Internet that day, or Saturday even, so I'm doing it now. I hope you all like this chapter, despite how it's a bit rushed and probably just a little inaccurate as far as technical aspects in the HSDK world go, but I don't thinks it's bad.

Summary: Itachi never expected to wake up again after passing on for the last time, and he knew this wasn't the work of Impure World Resurrection. Follow his struggles as he makes his way into the world of Martial Arts and mastery of Kushinada-style Jiujutsu! Things are about to get interesting…

Disclaimer: I don't own _History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi_ or _Naruto_. I…don't.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and enjoy the chapter!

~99~

**Chapter 2: Succession**

Mikumo watched with great satisfaction as her disciple of only a few weeks took down five somewhat skilled opponents in less than thirty seconds. He was using basic, physical Jiujutsu takedown moves that were much too physical for her tastes, but she had instructed him to do that purposefully.

She wanted him to firmly grasp the concepts of generalized Jiujutsu so that he would better see the difference (superiority) in her family style when she began to teach him. She was already preparing his body though, and it wouldn't be long before she deemed him completely ready to learn.

Mikumo had thought he'd been taught Jiujutsu by the old man he had spoken of before, but she soon learned that was not the case. Itachi's style was mixed and relied on flexible, agile movement, predicting his opponent's movements and then acting accordingly. She was however more impressed with Itachi's own ability than the mixed style he was taught.

She had known going in that Itachi was a genius, but she could scarcely believe how mature and intelligent he truly was. He was incredibly articulate, using words and forms of speech that were usually only heard in those much older. And despite his young age, he knew how to read and write perfectly without error, and one only needed to show him something once for him to almost completely grasp the concept and do it himself. On top of that, his ability to watch and imitate was amazing and nearly always spot on.

Furthermore, he was somehow already very skilled at predicting the movements of his opponents. She had noticed early on when pitting fighters against Itachi that his eyes moved rapidly and followed their movements with apparent ease. It was almost as if he saw things slower than everyone else, but Mikumo believed it to be natural talent.

His physical body was another thing that impressed her. His muscles were developed to a surprising extent and his endurance and stamina indicated he'd put himself through some fairly intense training. It also seemed he was naturally inclined to be a fighter, something that interested her greatly. His physical make up showed signs of some great genetics, and she still couldn't determine exactly how that was.

From what she'd been able to find out, Itachi's mother had been nobody important and had died during childbirth due to poor medical treatment. His father was an unknown who seemed to have left his mother at some point during her pregnancy. Mikumo could only guess that the father was probably a martial artist, perhaps even one of the Kuremisago, and his genes had been the key to Itachi's great aptitude for the martial arts.

She wondered if he was still alive, and if he was, whether or not he even knew he had a son in the first place. She was sure if he knew just how much of a prodigy his son was, he'd be back trying to take Itachi with him. It was not to be however. Mikumo wouldn't give up Itachi for anything.

In fact, if she ever had a child, which would probably never happen (if it was still possible at all, even with her young body), she hoped they would be like Itachi. As it was, Itachi was basically her adopted son anyway, having taken her name legitimately. She'd used her resources in the government and gotten him new papers and had erased his old records at the orphanage he'd lived at for eight years. His new name now was Kushinada Itachi.

_A fine name indeed_, she thought with approval.

~99~

Itachi was somewhat bored playing the part of the ignorant student. Most of what Mikumo was teaching him he already knew. Taijutsu was the equivalent to the "Martial Arts" of this world, or at least for the most part. Taijutsu was the general term for physical/hand to hand combat back in his world and the martial arts were generally the same thing here.

The Uchiha clan had developed a Taijutsu style that relied (obviously) on predicting the enemy's movements and shutting them down with what the user deemed necessary. It was a bit more technical than that, but it was basically that simple. Still, Jujitsu was simply a direct form of physical combat that was used for defeating armed opponents fairly gently—without using debilitating force.

It was more or less a facet of his style in close-combat situations, so her teaching of its fundamentals was unnecessary for the most part. He didn't want to arouse too much suspicion though with his advanced knowledge of fighting arts. He'd already caused a little too much interest in his new teacher and he didn't want to give her any more questions that he may not be able to answer to her satisfaction later on.

The only things that really interested him were Mikumo's intentions, her unique family style she had yet to teach him, and her education on the martial arts world. He was particularly fascinated at hearing of some of the different styles that had been developed throughout the world over time and of the many different masters of those styles that his new teacher had spoken of.

Mikumo was interesting herself in that sense. From the way she spoke of things or others—often patronizingly—as if she were more wise and experienced than her peers, it implied she was older than them. He found it hard to believe, but he'd seen much more odd things (in his past life, of course) than someone who could apparently keep themselves young. She looked to be in her twenties but Itachi suspected she was much older.

Still, it was shocking that someone from this more mundane world could have developed some kind of technique or system that allowed them to maintain their youth. Itachi couldn't help but think of how much Orochimaru would have given to learn her secrets. His path to immortality would have certainly gone a lot more smoothly if he'd known what Kushinada Mikumo did.

He couldn't dwell too much on those thoughts though, not when he had to focus on much more important things—like his new master, for example. His teacher was no doubt someone to be wary of, but Itachi was glad he'd met someone who could teach him adequately in the deeper ways of this world. It wouldn't do if he'd been paired with someone subpar when there were people like Kushinada Mikumo out there. Definitely not.

~99~

_Three Months Later_

Mikumo watched through narrowed eyes as her disciple threw his opponent to the ground easily without touching him.

She'd underestimated his capacity once again, it seemed.

To have such fine control of his KI when she'd only started teaching him the basics of her style less than two months ago was unheard of. Itachi was like a fish to water when it came to manipulating his opponents' movements using only his KI. It was almost scary, actually.

_Could it be fate_, she thought with some bemusement, _that I've come upon one so completely suited for the Kushinada style?_

She'd also seen him practicing to manipulate his own KI to understand it better. She had approved of such experimentation, only expecting it from her brilliantly inquisitive student. She had been unprepared, however, when he had started to use it in conjunction with his more physical style to strengthen his body and increase his resistance to damage.

That was something that one usually only learned when they started their fall into mastery of their martial art. After that point, she had stopped putting limits upon the potential of her disciple. Still, it was a shock for him to so easily learn the basics of her style, something that had been difficult for even her.

Maybe that was the point though. Itachi was truly one of a kind, a martial artist like no other with talent surpassing all of them. He was perhaps one in a million; no, one in a billion, to be honest. His skill would keep improving until only the strongest could pose him any challenge. He could truly bring the martial arts world to new heights.

Mikumo smirked slightly at the thought. _And I will guide you to that peak, my disciple…_

~99~

Itachi was only now appreciating the usefulness of having someone like Kushinada Mikumo (specifically) teach him her martial art. Her KI manipulation methods were quite helpful in allowing him to understand the mysterious energy better. With his new understanding, his chances of recreating some of the Ninjutsu of his old world were now somewhat more realistic.

He was most interested as to whether or not he could maybe use KI to perform Genjutsu at some point. It was unlikely, seeing as how KI was so difficult to grasp and use on others, but he could definitely give it a shot. It was frustrating how much less moldable KI was than chakra, really. If he could make a figurative comparison, it was like trying to hold and fight with a large, wet bar of soap (KI), as oppose to holding and fighting with a firm and balanced wooden staff (chakra).

It wasn't much of a problem though, at least as far as Itachi was concerned. He had a long time to experiment and refine his control, and a master that was perfectly suited in guiding him towards his goals. With enough practice and hard work, he was sure things would work themselves out.

~99~

"Hmm…" Mikumo hummed as she watched Itachi strengthen his lower body with some exercises she'd designed. "Your body is still too young for the kind of training I need to put you through to enhance your speed. If only you would go through puberty sooner…"

Itachi raised an eyebrow at her as he worked his legs faster in their harnesses. "You say …unnecessary things, Master."

Mikumo's face stayed impassive but on the inside she was quite amused. She'd never thought she would have grown so attached to someone else, not after her mother had died, but Itachi was very much the exception. He was just so much of a bright light in her life that she couldn't help but feel affection for him. She would never admit such a thing to him or anyone else, but she acknowledged it herself, and that was enough.

His progression, and his ideas and theories even, were somewhat unsurprisingly revolutionary, at least in her opinion. She had never felt so much pride in another person than when Itachi had discovered new ways to further refine control of KI. He had tried focusing it to the soles of his feet and walking up a wall, for one.

While it hadn't worked at first, he had gradually but noticeably gotten better at controlling his KI. She still couldn't quite believe that soon after that, he had been able to somewhat stick himself to a vertical surface for almost thirty seconds before slowly sliding down.

At that point, she'd started to do some of the things Itachi did alongside him, knowing his ideas were valid and would contribute to even her considerable abilities and control. She could only hope he would share his ideas as freely as he was now with her when he got older and reached his true potential. It was something she dearly hoped to see.

~99~

"I have learned to focus and mold my inner energy better through the use of the Kuji-in hand-seals of Taoist and Buddhist practices," a twelve year old Itachi explained to Mikumo patiently.

Mikumo raised her eyebrows, wondering where he'd even learned of them. "How do you know of Kuji-in? I don't recall teaching you that."

Itachi nodded, his face giving nothing away. "The library on martial arts you took me to in southern Japan had some documents on the uses of Kuji-in. It was described that Shinobi and some other warriors of the past would use Kuji-in to focus their minds and bodies to better utilize their skills. I thought that perhaps this concept would apply to the control and shaping of KI as well."

Of course, Itachi was lying that he'd gotten the idea from a book. While it was true that he had found a book (with some surprise on his part) explaining the use of Kuji-in hand-signs, he had thought of using them long before he'd found the book. He'd even tried the Grand Fireball technique during his later years at the orphanage, hand-seals and all.

It hadn't worked simply because he could never grasp and control his KI well enough, but with Mikumo's guidance in KI manipulation and his own attempts to better utilize it with common chakra control exercises from his old world, he believed he could recreate at least the Grand Fireball, or something like it if nothing else.

Mikumo nodded in understanding. "That is quite interesting. Do you truly think it will be useful though? Would it not be better to learn to focus your KI without using Kuji-in practices as a shortcut?"

Itachi didn't want to share that with the use of "Kuji-in," or basically the equivalent to the ninja hand-seals of his old world, he would possibly be able to perform seemingly impossible feats (for this world) in the form of Ninjutsu, or something similar. There were other uses for it anyway.

"Think of them like…training wheels on a bicycle," Itachi said after some thought. "With the proper use of Kuji-in, I will likely be able to reach your level of control in half the time it would take were I not to use them and keep on with your methods. The hand-seals are not a crutch, but they will help me become accustom to more advanced manipulation much faster."

Mikumo's eyes widened marginally in surprise, not having expected her student to have apparently found a significantly faster way around the continuous and difficult training (and long hours of constant meditation) required to use the more advanced techniques of the Kushinada style. Well, it actually wasn't that surprising looking back. This was Itachi, after all.

"Alright, I will allow it," Mikumo said finally. "I know that there are martial arts that use Kuji-in to stimulate stronger movement of KI and heighten their abilities as a result, but I hadn't thought it could be used for any more than that."

Itachi nodded. "I believe they can be used for much more."

Mikumo smirked slightly in response. "Mm, I suppose…

~99~

Itachi placed his white stone at intersection 5-13, carefully avoiding Mikumo's strategic trap in black's territory. He didn't like playing white, but he supposed it was good to be challenged. Playing white against someone of Mikumo's skill, however, was very difficult. Go was one of her favorite strategic games and Itachi had only started learning a few years ago.

At least now he had the ability to bring her to the endgame. Up until about a year ago he'd always had to resign prematurely because of major loss in battles of territory.

His eyes widened in surprise though when he noticed the true nature of Mikumo's trap as she placed a stone in the middle of one of his lesser formations. And just like that, he lost another eight points.

Itachi sighed in resignation, thinking perhaps he shouldn't have even thought he was catching up to her. "I have nothing," he said, slightly bowing his head to her.

Mikumo's impassive face broke into a small smile, her eyes proud. "It will keep you humble, my disciple."

Itachi smiled in response at her quip. Through time and things like this, they'd grown fairly close. It was probably as much a surprise to her as it was to him at how relaxed they both acted around each other now. Their relationship was odd, but Itachi saw Mikumo as a friend and mentor, and she more than likely thought of him as a prized student and source of great pride.

"Let us rest," Mikumo said after an easy silence. "We've done enough for today. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the second stage of your body's strength training. It is crucial that you have enough energy to complete it."

~99~

Itachi panted after finally finishing the seventy-eighth set of sprints he'd been made to run. The new hellish training Mikumo was putting him through was supposed to rapidly increase his speed and strength. While he could already see results, even he was starting to really feel the strain of her methods.

Mikumo stood not far off, looking at him without emotion. "This training is important," she had said. "As your body grows, so too will the many muscle fibers you continuously tear and regenerate. The training now is for the purpose of reaching your body's full potential when it has finished growing."

This kind of physical training was more intense than most anything he'd been through in his previous world. He knew that the powerful fighters here would have a means to compensate for their lack of chakra, but he'd always thought it was through mastery of KI, not incredibly stressful (physically speaking) conditioning of the body.

It was ironic too. The Kushinada Jiujutsu style boasted one hundred percent skill, zero percent power, and yet the training he was going through was making his body quite powerful. Of course, there was an emphasis on increasing his speed so that he could use some of the more "illusory" techniques of the Kushinada style, but it was annoying to have to do this kind of training so often.

It took Itachi about an hour to finish before he moved on to the training machine Mikumo had designed as a part of the upper-body portion of his training. He strapped the harness connecting to the machine around his abdomen and locked his hands tightly around the two rope-like extensions hanging at each side of the machine. They connected back to the machine, pulling up heavy weights as he rhythmically punched the wall in front of him.

As he continuously punched the wall, his mind filled with the idea of how powerful a true master of this world would be if only they could use chakra.

It was a fearsome thought.

~99~

Itachi sighed, looking around the parking lot dispassionately. Unconscious bodies littered the pavement, their weapons sprawled haphazardly around them. They had been his targets after Mikumo had directed him here after hearing from her "people" that there would be a smuggled shipment of illegal drugs near the docks of the city he'd been staying in.

Going on these "missions" served the purpose of giving him some real life experience. While he appreciated the thought, he was no stranger to near-death experiences (in fact, he was no stranger to actual death!) and he didn't really need to condition himself for situations like this.

Mikumo however thought otherwise. She thought he needed some experience against numerous actual opponents intending solely to kill him as quickly as possible. She had enough confidence in him though and had decided to let him fight on his own without her there to help, guide or protect him.

It was fine with Itachi though. He was actually glad to get away from Mikumo for awhile, mostly because of her hellish physical training, but also because of what she'd been implying as of late.

Mikumo was starting to really try to get him to kill an opponent in a serious battle. In fact, Itachi suspected these little outings she'd been putting him in were also for that purpose. While the subject of killing an opponent in a fight wasn't new, Itachi had never been overtly asked by Mikumo to kill his opponents during a fight.

It was surely a frustrating thing for Mikumo, who had been trying to put him in situations where killing the enemy was the only choice. She'd tried pitting him against opponents that she thought were more skilled than Itachi so that he would have no choice but to use a devastating technique to win, or something similar at any rate. Itachi, however, would always manage to defeat his foes through some other means, usually with psychological tactics or superior maneuverability and use of the environment/area around them.

Jiujutsu in general though was a martial art used for the purpose of defeating the enemy without killing them, or even harming them too severely. Kushinada Jiujutsu may have been a lot different from general Jiujutsu, but it still held the same principles for the most part. This served as a bit of a deterrent to Mikumo's beliefs and he only impressed her further by not having to kill his opponents when forced into a difficult situation, but the subject was never really dropped.

Itachi was very familiar with killing, though Mikumo would never know. In his original life, he'd killed many for the simple purpose of protecting his village. He'd even killed most of his entire family to prevent a potential war from springing up. It had been a pretty misguided and rushed decision, he admitted, but it had been for the safety and livelihood of everyone else, especially his younger brother.

He never killed simply for the pleasure of it, or for some outdated belief in maintaining a certain way of life. He only killed when absolutely necessary and even then it was usually to protect others or sustain some higher goal. In this world where it was relatively peaceful, there was no reason for needless death, martial arts be damned.

He only hoped Mikumo wouldn't do anything too drastic to pass on her ideals to him.

~99~

Itachi knocked the last enemy out with a quick but powerful throw to the ground, not physically of course, and then surveyed the area for the smuggled weapons shipments he'd been sent to put a stop to. He sighed when he couldn't spot any crates or boxes in the three vans his enemies had brought for transportation. He resigned to waking up and interrogating one of the thugs when he felt a subtle change in the air around him.

His eyes widened slightly before he immediately moved to the side with extreme speed, cleanly missing the blade that entered the area his head had been in just previously. Itachi then quickly gained some distance between him and his new apparent opponent.

"That's some serious speed," the man who had attacked him remarked as he pulled an oddly shaped sword back. "The rumors were true then. A skilled martial artist was behind all those recent failed shipments."

The man standing opposite him was dark skinned and clearly of Asian descent. He had brown hair that matched his eyes braided and held at the back of his neck in a small tress. His clothing was simple, consisting of only a long sleeved, black, tight-collared shirt with matching black pants and black, unremarkable shoes. His vast muscular build was easily notable even through his clothing though and his KI pressure was quite large. The two curved swords in each of his hands only added to his intimidating appearance.

Itachi narrowed his eyes and quickly prepared for a difficult fight. This would be his first time seriously fighting someone of this caliber. He had only ever sparred with Mikumo and she was simply too fast and experienced for him to pose much of a challenge to her. He hadn't ever fought against another master, despite some of the chances he'd had, and this man was clearly at that level.

"I'm surprised an unarmed teenager could've stopped all those operations so easily," the man remarked, readying himself for battle as he cracked his neck and shook his arms out slightly. "But I guess those idiots weren't too strong anyway. I am impressed that you took them all out without killing them though, even though they all had their guns; that takes some skill."

Itachi shrugged casually, as if unconcerned. Internally though he was ready for anything and his focus was completely on his new opponent and their surroundings. He had been waiting for a challenge like this ever since he had discovered the potential of the true martial artists of this world and it was finally here. This fight would mark his progress in his new life, and Itachi hoped his hard work would pay off.

He truly did hope so, because if he couldn't defeat this new fighter, his short time in this world would come to a bloody end.

And then, abruptly, the fight began.

~99~

—And Chapter 2 is finished!

—I know I may have distorted Mikumo's personality a bit, but I wanted for her to seem less of "bad guy" in my story. Some things I may have messed up or didn't place in as accurately as I could—mostly in relation to the HSDK world—so I hope you guys won't be upset about anything I screwed up with, but I did my best, so meh.

—Feedback people! Give it!


	3. Chapter 3: Mastery

**Author's Note**: Don't hate 'cuz I don't update. I'm just slow like that. This story isn't abandoned, anyway, so don't worry. Sorry if some things are inaccurate in relation to either HSDK or Naruto, that's what happens without a beta reader or a second opinion (that was not a subtle request for one; I don't need beta readers…or maybe I'm just not sociable, meh).

**Summary**: Itachi never expected to wake up again after passing on for the last time, and he knew this wasn't the work of Impure World Resurrection. Follow his struggles as he makes his way into the world of Martial Arts and mastery of Kushinada-style Jiujutsu! Things are about to get interesting…

**Disclaimer**: I don't own nothin.'

Enjoy and review my faithful minio- I mean readers.

**Chapter 3: Mastery**

Itachi ducked under yet another swipe as his eyes recorded the movements of his opponent. The man's sword techniques weren't too remarkable but his form was perfect and he was indeed very skilled.

Additionally though he was also very fast and physically powerful and it took all of Itachi's concentration to keep up and stay a step ahead.

"To think," the man muttered, pausing in his swift dual strikes. "A master at your age…"

Itachi ignored the man and took the reprieve to create some distance between them. It would take some quick planning and clever strategy to defeat his current opponent.

"Tell me," the man started as he readied his body to attack again. "Who trained you?"

Itachi's body tensed in preparation. "That is of no concern to you."

His dark skinned opponent smirked and launched himself at Itachi again, continuing the fight with even greater intensity.

~99~

Mikumo watched from nearly a kilometer away as her student fought on equal ground with a master; a low-grade, fairly unremarkable master, but a master nonetheless. It was even more impressive because the master in question used weapons, and while Itachi was extensively trained to defend against them, it was generally more difficult to fight someone with weapons as opposed to someone barehanded.

Mikumo still couldn't quite believe it though. Her student—the boy she had put more than eight years of work into, the boy who had exceeded any and all expectations, the extraordinary, prodigious child she thought of like a son—was already at a master's level, or at least it seemed that way.

He hadn't mastered the Kushinada style yet, but his abilities in combat were obvious and his unique familiarity with his KI was indeed something to see. If nothing else, the fight she was witnessing at the very moment was proof enough that Itachi had fallen into the league of masters.

She felt equal parts extremely proud and angry. Proud, because she could now say with confidence that her first disciple was her greatest success in life; because, in the end, very few (if any at all) could say that any of their students had reached this high a level in only eight years of training.

Angry, because she hadn't noticed it until now, and because if her student wasn't at that level, it was very likely that he would have died when the sword master attacked him initially.

Of course she knew that Itachi was extremely skilled, but she hadn't thought he would be able to fight evenly with another master. Had her judgment really been so poor?

Now that she thought back, her occasional spars with Itachi had been getting progressively more difficult to get the better of, even though they both didn't truly give it their all. Even among masters, Mikumo knew she was one of the very best. Her prowess in the martial arts was such that even the strongest were wary in her presence.

Perhaps because of her own skill, she hadn't quite accounted for Itachi's growth. She had been trying to simply raise him to her level without really considering what level he was on at present. This fight certainly opened her eyes though, and she would make sure to watch more closely from now on.

As it was though, she would have to get in touch with her informants and figure out who it was that had lacked mentioning the hire and arrival of a weapons master. If their reasons weren't adequate, she had no qualms about killing them immediately. Their incompetence could have potentially cost her Itachi's life, and that was simply unacceptable.

~99~

Itachi would have been somewhat amused if he wasn't currently fighting for his life against a weapons master. The man was starting to become visibly frustrated at his inability to land a single hit with either of his dual-swords.

While the man thought that Itachi was the superior in speed for that reason, he was mistaken. Itachi knew his body had not yet reached the pivotal stage in which true mastery of self was earned. The fact was, his body was not yet even fully developed and a few more years were still necessary for the drastic physiological-chemical changes induced by the special training he went through to come into full effect.

This was true for every extremely skilled martial artist. Every master's body was significantly different from the average human's. This was due to the continuous use of KI throughout the body and the extreme training every master goes through to reach their full physical potential.

Itachi was most certainly ahead of his peers in this respect—and rightly so—but his body had not yet gone through those changes completely, and he knew this for a fact. What kept him ahead of the weapons master now was not an advantage in speed, no, it was his eyes.

Rather, it was his select few unique ocular abilities that he retained from his past life. They weren't as potent as they had been from his past, obviously, but they were still there to an extent.

Activating his Sharingan had more or less been a feeling he had become almost unconsciously accustom to back in the Elemental Nations. Even in this new life, he could still acutely remember the feeling of activating his eyes, and he could still consciously control their abilities to a point like he could way back. It was almost like some kind of muscle memory, actually.

Thus, with a significant bit of concentration, he could almost completely mimic the most advanced form of the Sharingan's ability with slowed perception and extreme analytical supremacy. His ability to do this had gotten even better due to his training in the past years and he could now use his eyes as an asset without actually having anything particularly special about them.

It was for this reason that Itachi was able to avoid being cut limb from limb against his opponent who was clearly the superior physical fighter. The man was becoming agitated simply because Itachi's face showed no hint of concern or emotion while he dodged. In fact, he looked almost impossibly calm.

Itachi was actually forcing himself to remain completely focused on the swordsman though, and his calm mask was only in place because of his extreme concentration. Perhaps it was also because he was most comfortable with an entirely neutral expression as a result of the habits he had made in his past life, but it was mostly because he was so alert.

As Itachi finished analyzing the swordsman's movements completely, his plan of attack was quickly formulated. The man he was facing off against had a sword style reminiscent of an ancient Thai method he had once read about in his most recent travels to Southern Asia.

It was composed for the most part of quick, overwhelming slashes that incorporated random jabs at the expense of the user. It was made more dangerous by experts with the ability to trick their opponents with false and subtle movements that were more controlled and much more difficult to anticipate than any simple feint.

Fortunately, Itachi could see through the man's false movements with his eyes, which no doubt probably annoyed the master swordsman further. It would have been an impressive style to anyone without visual abilities such as his, but as it was, Itachi only saw the man's subtle feints as wasted movements—and thus a lucky advantage to him.

He was eventually able to read through the man's usual combination attacks and he had already accounted for seventeen different advanced feints that the swordsman was now starting to repeat and go through again.

He was soon much more comfortable fighting against the dark skinned swordsman, the man's techniques now all engrained in Itachi's mind. His strategy was quickly ready as soon as the swordsman came in for yet another series of jabs.

The swordsman's repeated jabs ended as he entered into the fourth feint. Itachi was ready, carefully moving his body in such a way that it mirrored the forward movements of the dark-skinned man's feint. He eventually slipped through the opening left in the man's guard as a result of it.

The swordsman had no time to react as Itachi went through an incredibly quick set of hand signs in the fraction of a second it took for the opening in his guard to show itself, three seals weaved in total, and thrust his smaller hand forward towards his opponent's forehead. His right hand still holding the partial tiger seal, Itachi's index and middle fingers came to rest on the swordsman's forehead for even less time, but it was more than enough.

Even as the dark skinned man immediately jumped away, throwing one last slash for good measure (though Itachi dodged), his body quickly started to seize up. He grunted as he looked up to glare heatedly at Itachi.

"Wha-what did you do t—"

His question halted as he immediately felt a searing pain all over and inside his body, as if he was on fire. He promptly fell to his knees as his body seized up further in a futile attempt to ward off the increasing levels of pain. He struggled not to scream.

"So it worked…" Itachi muttered quietly as he stared down indifferently at his foe. He mentally sighed, deciding the master swordsman probably deserved an explanation. "To put it simply, I manipulated my KI in such a way that as soon as I was able to touch you, it directly targeted and hyper-stimulated the areas in your brain responsible for interpreting pain. The brain is the "central hub," as it were. If one can influence the brain, they can affect the entire body."

"Y-you b-bastard kid…" the swordsman managed to voice before his body started to go through convulsions, his mind gradually starting to lose consciousness.

Itachi looked down at the man without remorse. _He has a very high pain-threshold_, he observed silently. Most people would be screaming themselves raw, and likely would have lost consciousness immediately. It was surprising that the swordsman could withstand so much pain and not be immediately incapacitated.

Still, Itachi thought, the "genjutsu" was successful. It was a touch-genjutsu, which wasn't actually a foreign concept back in the Elemental Nations, just not all too common. Some actually used them as a stepping stone to more complicated genjutsu, in fact.

In this world though, touch-genjutsu were about all Itachi could use, and even then, he could only use them when touching an enemy's head, otherwise the KI he inserted would dissipate as it moved throughout the body. Furthermore, he had to maintain contact to insure his KI moved in the correct pattern to correctly affect his opponents' brains.

The hand seals he'd performed just previously though insured the KI would assume the correct pattern in his adversary's brain even after losing contact, though it would dissipate soon. It was enough time, however, for the swordsman to lose consciousness. The KI in his brain eventually dissolved enough for the now unconscious man's body to go slack.

Itachi sighed softly as he finally relaxed his still tense muscles. He was glad his gambit had paid off. He'd only used touch-genjutsu with KI to cause loss of certain or multiple senses in former opponents. He'd only ever theorized using it as a means to cause extreme pain.

With chakra, it was much simpler. He would never have had to touch his opponent in the first place and on top of that, he could've manipulated the man's sense into believing whatever he'd wanted him to experience. Touch-genjutsu with KI on the other hand was significantly more crude.

It could, although, be more potentially devastating both physically and mentally. Chakra was much more smooth as it manipulated the brain. KI in contrast seemed to be more damaging, as Itachi had observed when he'd experimented on some of his opponents in the past. The swordsman, for example, would probably find it difficult to move even after all of Itachi's KI had been dispersed, and Itachi wasn't even certain of any possible long term consequences, if there were any.

Still, Itachi was satisfied his technique had worked as intended. He was eager to see if his newly developed techniques could be utilized further and the potential they had. He hadn't been lying earlier, after all. The brain was where everything truly took place, where reality was interpreted by the observer. If he could manipulate it to make someone lose sight or sound or feel pain, what else could he do? The possibilities were vast.

~99~

"What a dangerous technique…" Mikumo said to herself absently, still in slight shock from the abilities her disciple displayed.

She had read his lips as he explained what he'd done to the sword master. That technique he seemed to have developed and created on his own was actually somewhat frightening. To think he only needed to quickly touch his opponent after weaving those signs…

Even if he was limited to touching only the forehead, as it seemed, it was still an incredibly dangerous technique. If he honed his speed enough, he could probably take down most master class fighters without exerting much effort at all. Mikumo looked contemplatively at the writhing swordsman as he obviously struggled to stay cognizant. It reminded her of the memory suppressing technique she'd once seen Fuurinji Hayato use when she had been much younger, if not more advanced.

Itachi had certainly come far. She already knew his focusing hand signs were useful, but to actually use them in battle to such an effect…it was sobering, the kind of damage he could inflict. She was aware that the brain was the center of everything. If Itachi could make someone feel pain with but a single touch to the forehead, could he not also cause their brain to stop sending the signal to keep the heart beating? Or for the organs to stop functioning normally? Or even for them to stop breathing?

"What a fearsome skill indeed…" She muttered ominously.

~99~

Itachi sat in traditional seiza across from Mikumo as she not so subtly questioned him.

"In the past I assumed you simply had superb reflexes and a natural aptitude towards high speed movement, but lately I've started to doubt that," she started, sipping her tea serenely.

Itachi's expression remained calm and impassive, something Mikumo always approved of in any situation. It was her belief that one should never show their true emotions, lest their opponent gain an advantage over them and exploit those emotions. Itachi already knew this discipline well, and in fact he'd learned of it since before he had turned six in his previous life.

At any rate, Itachi was actually somewhat disappointed that it had taken so long for Mikumo to confront him about his abilities in regards to his eyes. Perhaps she had known about it but couldn't explain it? Still, he nodded to her assumption.

"During our most recent spars I have noticed that your pupils move around quite rapidly within their sclera. Am I correct to assume that you are somehow…perceiving time more slowly than is normal?"

Itachi again nodded, silently contemplating her response. She'd probably long ago noticed the rapid eye movement and had only recently started to closely analyze and ponder upon his abilities. Sure, she had done this before, but at those times, she had made her own assumptions based on what she could directly observe, not on what Itachi experienced or his own empirical findings.

This was as a result of her own perception of Itachi. She saw him as the student and herself the master. She did not know of Itachi's unique circumstances so she had therefore assumed she did not need to consult or scrutinize him too closely. It was as though she was molding a sculpture without looking at it, expecting it to end up as the shape she had in her mind, and then finally opening her eyes and discovering that it had unexpected features and additions—additions she did not add to it.

Itachi was mildly impressed though. Not surprised but certainly impressed. She had made the correct assumption in regards to his eyes through only watching and observing his reaction times in correlation to his eye movements.

Still, Itachi could only assume this was because of his recent fight against the master swordsman he had defeated only a few days ago. He had suspected she would have some means of watching him while he performed those missions. He could deduce that she had either not expected the swordsman to show up and was surprised that Itachi managed to defeat him, or that she had been the one behind the swordsman's appearance and had not expected Itachi to defeat him.

Itachi doubted the latter and felt more inclined to believe the former. She was now much more interested in his development and the origin of the distinct abilities he had displayed in that fight. Mikumo was now most likely looking back in her memory for past information and evidence that would explain his ability to defeat a master class opponent.

It was speculation, but Itachi was fairly sure he had been around Mikumo long enough to understand her motivations and reasoning. Being able to do such a thing had been one of the most crucial things a Shinobi could know back in his previous life.

Mikumo finally spoke, ending his train of thought. "I see…when did you develop such an ability…and why did you not inform me of it?"

She didn't show it but Itachi knew she was suspicious and probably confused. It wasn't usual for one's disciple to suddenly become mysterious and have unique abilities that the master was unaware of.

"I had mastered this ability approximately three years ago, though I had experimented long before that," Itachi answered before taking a slow sip of his tea. "I did not inform you because it was my intention to keep this ability a secret."

Mikumo's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "And why is that?"

Itachi raised his right eyebrow slightly. "The less that know about any given secret, the less risk there is of the information becoming compromised at some point. I did not keep this from you with any distrustful intent, I simply did not wish for my technique to become understood or recreated as a result of others' knowledge of it, even you, master."

Mikumo pondered this silently as their conversation came to an end, though she inclined her head slightly to acknowledge Itachi's answer. She had expected great things from Itachi so his development of the technique wasn't so surprising as his intent to keep it a secret.

It was a wise decision, she supposed, but the fact that he kept it secret from even his master worried her slightly. She looked at Itachi then, noticing his composed visage, the tea he sipped just as serenely as she, his perfect posture and the almost regal nature of his striking features.

And suddenly, she realized.

Itachi was no longer a boy, but a man. Mature as he was, he had still been a child when she had first chosen him as her disciple. Somewhere along the path they had taken together, he had changed, and it seemed she may have been too caught up to have noticed it. From boy to man, and even from disciple to master, as his last fight apparently proved.

She smiled then, and sadness seeped into her thoughts. Their path was soon coming to an end, it seemed.

~99~

_Six Years Later_

Itachi observed the meeting below him with the porcelain ANBU mask he'd crafted strapped comfortably against his face. He was in the shadows of the ceiling in a foolishly dim lit room, studying the actions of the high level Chinese gangsters below. He was in the back room of an illegal gambling house, waiting for some bit of interesting information.

He'd been doing similar such things ever since he'd left Mikumo's tutelage about a year ago, when he had turned twenty-one.

Itachi had often witnessed the many resources his master had possessed and realized quite soon after he'd left that he couldn't simply rely upon Mikumo for help with such matters. He had first considered starting some sort of business venture but he had learned quickly enough that such a means of gaining resources was too time consuming and unreliable in the short-term.

He had quickly decided that the best way to gain resources was through the procurement of monetary funds, and the easiest way to procure monetary funds was through theft. Of course, he wasn't simply going to steal large sums of money from just anyone. Thus started his ventures into the organized crime of China.

Itachi usually utilized his skills in espionage and infiltration to simply rummage through wealthy mobsters' homes, bypassing their "State of the Art" security systems fairly easily and then basically taking anything of value.

Sometimes they would have safes or even vaults in their homes filled with their most precious possessions which Itachi would either break into or spy on long enough to find out the actual combinations through the crime bosses' own hands.

Not having much else to really do, Itachi would then find some way to incriminate his targets with damning evidence presented anonymously to the Chinese authorities. He was sure he'd gained a reputation of late but he didn't much care for such things.

He'd already acquired millions of _Yuan_, the Chinese currency, and had a large stockpile of beautiful jewelry and art. The large amounts of money were usually filtered into off-shore accounts with the help of some shady bankers that had a tendency to look the other way for some extra cash. He was considering putting some money into stock investments now that he had the necessary funds to make significant returns.

Right now he was spying on the most powerful gang leader in the Anhui Province. This man, referred to by his underlings as 'Boss Cheng,' and more commonly known to the masses as Chao Chen Cheng, was widely respected for his cunning intellect and his "knowledge of many things." At least that's what Itachi had been able to gather from both the man's rivals and allies alike.

Personally, Itachi felt the man to be a bit too boastful and indeed even his name was boastful. But he could perhaps be counted as more intelligent than most, if not all of his past targets. This was because Cheng had hired martial artists that seemed to be at the level of masters, as far as Itachi could tell.

He counted four and they were all outside the room he had snuck into. It hadn't been particularly difficult to get past them, though. He had studied all of the locations that Cheng frequented in detail, this gambling house included. The gambling house wasn't grounded completely and had many small supports that held it up about twenty five centimeters from the ground.

Itachi had been able to utilize this feature and sneak in from underground without the notice of the men in the meeting or the masters directly outside. The room was dark and large and Itachi had long since perfected the art of near absolute silent movement so it wasn't very difficult. Just in case the masters outside were skilled at sensing KI or some other form of detection, Itachi had suppressed his own KI to negligible levels and even shielded his scent from easy discovery.

Still, even without such precautions, Itachi was fairly confident he could defeat all four if he was careful about it. He didn't wish to test that theory out, however, and thus continued to listen in on the meeting below.

As if by fate, there was a large crashing noise that seemed to emanate from outside, followed quickly by loud gunshots. The men in the meeting below Itachi immediately left the room, probably to go hide in some safe room located in the house or perhaps some secret escape route. The master class fighters outside the room seemed to disappear from their positions towards the commotion.

Itachi quietly sighed, deciding it would be more prudent to see where Cheng and his associates went. He would have to be careful though; there was a huge KI that had just appeared with the turmoil outside. Probably another master, though this one was probably on a much higher level than the ones Cheng had hired.

Itachi silently dropped to the ground before stealthily leaving the room and following the messy trail the gangsters had left behind. It wouldn't be too hard to find them.

~99~

Itachi arrived out the back door of the gambling house to witness an odd sight. A few meters in front of him laid the three other men that had sat in on the meeting, apparently unconscious. The gang leader Cheng seemed to be in shock, staring numbly at a small blonde girl that didn't look older than eight standing over the three men in a defensive stance.

Itachi quickly deduced that the girl must have been the one to defeat the three men, which had shocked Cheng. It was surprising, sure, but certainly not unheard of.

Before he could do anything else, he felt a powerful presence speedily heading towards the girl. His eyes widened, realizing with slight urgency that one of the four masters from before was aiming to attack the child. He quickly intervened.

He raced toward the girl, his extreme speed making his form nearly invisible. He grabbed her bridal style and jumped back further just as the other master's feet crushed the ground the child had just been standing upon. The girl blinked, just now noticing where she was and looking at where she had just been standing a fraction of a second earlier, her eyes slowly widening.

Itachi paid no attention to this though, his focus primarily upon the seemingly ruthless master in front of him. He was pale skinned and very muscular, wearing what looked to be a kenpo uniform of some sort. He sported a bored look upon his angular face.

"Another master hmm? I wonder what you two are doing here?" the Chinese master asked, though it seemed he was only musing to himself.

Itachi immediately realized that a different (yet another) master was most likely responsible for the disorder outside earlier. Before he could think about the implications of this and the girl he'd saved, he felt a discrete presence trying to sneak up behind him. Though his body revealed nothing, his mind whirled with plans based on what the other master behind him would try.

The master behind him lunged, apparently trying to attack Itachi's head. His plan decided in short order, Itachi allowed the man to get close before using the three step illusion technique to appear as though intangible. As expected the attack seemed to simply go through him.

Itachi, now behind the second master, quickly stopped the suppression of his KI and used a fundamental Kushinada Aiki technique. The man seemed to suddenly stop in his movements before trying to turn around only to be crushed to the ground with extreme force, as though by gravity. As if that wasn't enough, Itachi swiftly brought up his left leg and promptly stomped down forcefully, crushing the felled master's right ankle, insuring he'd most likely be out of the fight now.

This all happened within the span of three seconds, the only ones realizing exactly what happened being the other master and Itachi. The master that had attacked Itachi from behind seemed unconscious, and Itachi wondered for a split second if he'd over-done it with his aiki technique. He shook the thought off, not truly caring either way; he wasn't dead, at any rate.

The master that had attacked the blonde girl had lost his bored look, now replaced with something akin to intense focus and repressed giddiness. His stance was now offensive.

"Oho! The masked man has some tricks…" he began with a cruel grin, his eyes crinkling in excitement.

Itachi quickly put the small blonde girl down. He glanced at her, wondering if she would be a hindrance to the fight.

"Leave to a safe distance. This man is beyond your capability," Itachi said succinctly, hoping the girl would listen.

She seemed to hesitate but eventually nodded and took off towards where the gang boss was still standing. Itachi hoped she wouldn't apprehend him. Itachi still needed the man out of prison for a little while longer.

The Chinese master rushed at Itachi, attacking with multiple swift palm thrusts. Itachi observed his kenpo style as he calmly dodged with apparent ease. In all honesty his opponent was fairly slow in comparison. Itachi was certainly glad he had been trained in a style with a strong focus on speed.

The Chinese master seemed to be using classic _Baguazhang_, one of the most popular martial arts in China. Itachi had a significant bit of experience fighting Bagua experts so he didn't have much trouble and was able to successfully predict most of his opponent's movements from what he knew of this particular style.

The Bagua master grew angry as he continuously failed to hit Itachi. "Damnit! Stop moving!"

Itachi almost smiled at the young master's impudence, though he seemed at least five or ten years older than him. He decided he'd been on the defensive long enough. He performed a more advanced version of the three step illusionary technique, his form suddenly seeming to split into three.

The Chinese master seemed somewhat panicked as the three forms of his enemy surrounded him. He jumped back, only to feel an oppressive force somehow hold him in place. He felt light, as if his mass had been by some means reduced.

Itachi quickly rushed through hand signs after he'd caught the Chinese master in his aiki technique and placed his palm upon his opponent's forehead, forcing his molded KI into the man's brain.

The Chinese master's body immediately went slack as his brain stopped sending conscious electrically signaled commands to the rest of his body. His face was left looking panicked as he lay slumped on the ground with complete paralysis.

Itachi relaxed from his tensed state as the fight ended and looked over to find the girl staring at him with shock and wariness. The gang boss seemed terrified.

He looked back down at his beaten opponent. "Don't worry too much. The paralysis will wear off in a few hours, though it is likely you will have difficulty moving long after, perhaps even the rest of your life. Anyone that would attempt to kill a child with such ill-intent deserves nothing less, however."

Itachi sighed as he looked away from the downed master's dread-filled eyes. He didn't use these special techniques lightly as he'd figured out not too long ago that they had a physically damaging effect on the victim's brain. And brain damage didn't heal very well.

He then looked to the roof of the building where he could feel the massive KI he'd felt earlier. It was suppressed to an incredible degree but it was simply too large for it to escape Itachi's finely honed senses.

"You may come out now. I mean you no harm," he declared calmly.

A huge man suddenly appeared next to the young girl. He was well over two meters tall and incredibly muscled. He seemed fairly old but Itachi did not miss the extreme vitality and immense power the man possessed. He had blonde hair, just like the girl.

"The techniques you used…" the man began cautiously with some seriousness. "Would you happen to be a practitioner of the Kushinada style of Jujitsu?"

"I'm surprised you recognize it," Itachi answered with some interest. "It is relatively obscure."

"Hmm…" the large man began, seeming to consider something. "Thank you for protecting my granddaughter. I was here only after you defeated that first Chinese martial artist, and witnessed the rest as it happened. The technique you used on that other one though…I did not recognize that…"

Itachi nodded, easily realizing the man was fishing for information. "You wouldn't have. I created it very recently from my research and understanding of KI. I do not use it, or techniques like it, lightly."

The older man nodded, seeming to scrutinize Itachi for a moment. "Was it really necessary to use such a technique?"

"You heard my explanation," Itachi answered with a small shrug. "Besides, he will be able to move around quite easily in a few days. His days as a master, however, are most likely over unless he finds a very skilled healer in injuries of the brain."

The large blonde haired man seemed to accept this explanation with some relief and nodded in recognition. He understood it as a serious setback for someone as physically capable as a master martial artist, but it was a pretty reasonable punishment for someone who had attempted to kill his last remaining relative, his precious granddaughter.

"Hmm…" the blonde man hummed for a moment. "I think there is something I can interest you in…"

Itachi realized the old man was asking for his name. "I am Itachi."

"Ah yes, Itachi. There is a certain dojo in Japan…" he began with a smile.

~99~

—Third chapter kiddies, there you have it. Sorry for the long wait; haven't had much inspiration for much of anything for awhile. Yes, Itachi might seem overpowered, and yes this chapter might seem quite rushed, and YES it is unlikely that Itachi would be offered a place at the dojo by the Elder so easily but I just don't have time or patience for them to get to know each other. Besides the Elder is a very reckless individual and seems to 'go with his gut' most of the time. If he could tell that Itachi wasn't a bad person by his actions and his explanation then it isn't inconceivable that he would offer such a thing. It's my fic at any rate, so I'll do as I please.

—Take care and review as you like.


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